Seen on: August 6, 2009

The players: Director: Quentin Tarantino, Writer: Quentin Tarantino, Cast: Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Christoph Waltz, Mike Myers, Diane Kruger, Til Schweiger, Mélanie Laurent, B.J. Novak

Facts of interest: Part of the competition selection at the Cannes Festival.

The plot: Lt. Aldo Raine and his group of 'Basterds' embark on a mission of killing Nazis and planning to eliminate the leaders of the Third Reich.

Our thoughts: That basterd has done it again! Quentin Tarantino serves up a bunch of bloody Nazi scalps and plenty of other memorable moments in his “Inglourious Basterds,” an explosive war drama that has already earned a safe spot on the list of my absolute favorite films of the year. Let’s go do some huntin’…

The plot of the movie is pretty straightforward. Brad Pitt’s character Lt. Aldo Raine assembles a team of Jewish soldiers who are dropped into Nazi-occupied France and stop at nothing to kill every Nazi they encounter in an attempt to send a strong message to the ruthless leaders of the Third Reich.

While they’re at it, the so-called ‘Basterds’ also team up with Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger), a German actress and double agent who’s more than willing to help the gang stage a risky mission to take down a bunch of high-profile Nazi leaders during a big German movie premiere in Paris.

But wait! If there’s one guy with the potential to ruin some of these awesome plans, it’s the merciless ‘Jew Hunter’ Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), a nasty German soldier whose mission it is to eliminate every Jew he can find and preferably locate and stop the ‘Basterds’ from doing what they do best: killing Nazis…

I know that’s a lot of information at once, but trust me, when you see the movie, you’ll be surprised how easy and brilliantly it all falls into place. Tarantino is obviously a dab hand at creating compelling stories with a smooth flow, and “Inglourious Basterds” is an utterly intriguing big-screen experience from start to finish.

That said, this is not the Tarantino we’re used to. Yes, the film is bloody violent at times, and yes, the characters and the dialogue they’re supplied with are genius, but in terms of action, for instance, “Basterds” is not as loaded as past Tarantino flicks. You’ll definitely get your dose of boom and bang here, but it’s kept to a minimum.

There is absolutely no reason to panic though, because it’s mostly the talking and the acting that turn this one into a definite must-see. Nearly every section of the film boasts at least one truly memorable conversation between Tarantino’s eccentric characters, and some of these will undoubtedly blow your mind.

The most shocking moments (those that really help built up even more hate for the Nazis among viewers) are the scenes involving the astonishing Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa, the brutal, unscrupulous Nazi who pretty much torments every single person he speaks to. You won’t believe what this guy has in store for those he wants to intimidate.

Yes, Landa is a fierce bastard who will make you shudder. He’s the kind of character who crawls under your skin and makes you suffer along with his victims. Waltz is really that good in this role, and that’s exactly why he bagged the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival this year. He owns this movie, and I would love to see him show up as an Academy Award nominee.

The rest of the cast I found very easy to like as well. Surprisingly, Brad Pitt is hilarious in the role of Aldo Raine, and he’ll give you several opportunities for a good laugh here and there. In one specific scene he pretends to be Italian, and the only thing I can say is that it’s a moment of comic brilliance.

Other than that, this is a film you have to experience for yourself… if you’ve got a strong stomach. I know loyal Tarantino fans will be pleased with the violent scenes in this flick, but newcomers should beware, because you’ll definitely get to see some scalps in this one. Blood will flow, and the ‘Basterds’ are blowing shit up.

Freaky quote: "We're gonna be doing one thing and one thing only... killing Nazis." – Brad Pitt

The final word: I chose not to go into any further detail as far as story is concerned because “Inglourious Basterds” is a film you should not know that much about if you really want to be surprised by the development of the plot. Here’s the final verdict: Join these fantastic basterds, be entertained and be prepared to be shocked as well. It’s worth the trip, 100 percent.

 Article by Franck Tabouring